Sentences, paragraphs or chapters which start with the word it can sometimes set off on the wrong foot - literally, as it’s really a question of emphasis.  (There are exceptions - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times -  but they only prove the rule and you’ve got to be Charles Dickens to get away with it). It was a cold night has less authority than  The night was cold. Put what is important at the opening of your sentence and it begins to seem turbo charged.